From Human to Sprite and Back Again
by Sewnata
Summary: It has been a wonderful six months for Jack, as he lives out his human life with his new wife Elisa. But all that is changed when he is called back by Father Winter because of botched jobs by his successor, Phelan. (This is the Rankin/Bass version of Jack Frost, not modern, so those of you that like Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians, beware! XD) PLEASE Review and CRITIQUE!


**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the Jack Frost characters, except for his newborn son, who's name is Kip.**

 **Just a Jack Frost One-Shot**

Jack Snip, or in sprite history, Jack Frost, huddled under the doorway of his new house. He'd finished distributing Kubla Kraus's gold and other effects, although he had kept ClankStomper for himself, and already had him under control in his "stable". He had even secured the lovely Elisa as his wife, a village girl who had always loved Jack Frost, and now had ironically married his human counterpart. He kept her secured for a lucky six months, since the Kubla Kraus incident, and he was starting to think that winter had forgotten him, and that he would never have to go back.

He shuddered, and looked up at the stars when he remembered what had happened to Sir Ravenal Rightfellow, his wife's first suitor. He still felt that it had been all of his fault, only because he had been the first to ask for Elisa's hand in marriage, and he had accepted him.

But Ravenal had lost his house, and his lands, leaving him with nothing (it seemed) to live, or hope for.

Jack had found him handing from the rafters of his castle by the neck.

But Elisa was snug in bed, not dreaming of what had occurred before she and Jack were married. Something had called Jack that night. A still, quiet voice-if you will-had wakened him, telling him where to go, but not who it was that he should meet on that chilly night in mid-January.

He looked up, when he heard a breath of cold wind, and a tiny ice-creature materialized before him, a sprig of holly tangled in her thin, blue locks.

"Jack! It's been a long time…" Her icy breath caught in her throat when he looked up at his pale blonde hair and blue eyes with dark circles under them. "Why…you're wasting away!" She jumped up, and put a cold hand on his thin, trembling shoulder.

"Did Father Winter send you? You know, I'm the only person that's allowed to see the snow gypsies, Father Winter and the others, like HailFellow and Snip. Even Elisa thinks I'm off my rocker sometimes…" He paused. "What does he want?"

Holly shook her head. "He wants you to return, Jack, he says that Phelan is botching the job…you've probably noticed." She gestured to the cold, hard ground beneath her dainty feet and Jack's slippered ones.

Jack rolled his eyes. Phelan was a winter sprite that Father Winter had brought in out of desperation. He didn't know to do the job properly, and Jack knew it…still, at the time he had been busy with wedding arrangements, and hadn't given a thought to Phelan's troubles. Now it was back to haunt him.

"Elisa's expecting. I can't leave her now. IF Father Winter wants someone so badly, he'll have to get someone else." He turned away, with his arms crossed.

"But Jack, he'll force you to otherwise! He knows that you wouldn't come at all when asked, because he knows that your wife is expecting! You HAVE to come, or be transformed back to the sprite you once were. No more beating heart, no more Elisa." Holly finished, her sad voice issuing forth in the sound of tingling, silver bells. "And he won't give you a second chance."

Jack turned back around, desperation in his cool, blue eyes. He glanced back longingly at the castle that he had made his home, wishing he could give his sleeping wife one last goodbye. "Fine. He can have what he wants, IF he needs it so terribly. But even if I refused, as a permanent Jack Frost I'd be worthless. I would die inside…and maybe disappear completely. If Father Winter doesn't want me insubordinate, then he must looked at his past actions to see why I am so." He took a deep breath to calm down. "Are you taking me to him now?"

Holly nodded somberly. "Give me your hand, Jack. Father Winter gave me the power to change you back."

Jack felt a cold chill run up is spine, causing him to shudder and break out into goosebumps. He glanced down at his hand, to see that his skin had turned a perfect, immaculate white again. The dark grey suit with the belt and blue grey boots felt good to be in again, although he missed the gay blue cape and brown tunic that brightened his out-look on like, keeping him from feeling so…wintery.

"Hold on a moment, Jack, and you'll feel your old magic come back! That should cheer you up." Holly squeezed her old friend's shoulder, watching him eagerly.

Jack nodded bravely and stood still, breathing in the scented piney air. He breathed out, whistling his old tune upon the pond, being rewarded with a fresh icy patch growing on the water.

"I suppose I'm ready to leave." He boosted himself up onto his toes, finally mounting into the air and up into the clouds, crossing his fingers.

"Jack Frost, come here!"

Jack did a rather ungraceful somersault in the air when he heard Father Winter calling his name. It had been so long since he had heard the voice, that he was quiet unprepared for the quick call to the "throne room" as they called it then.

Jack's knees quaked a little as he settled down in front of Father Winter, but he stepped out open the blinding white cloud, peering fearlessly-yet still respectfully into Father Winter's wrath filled face.

"I-I'm here, sir." He scraped his foot into the cloud, making a fluffy hole.

Father Winter shot him a disapproving look. "Phelan has been destroying your best work. There have been fifteen deaths in January Junction, not to mention in other places, all because of Phelan's bungling. I want you back, to teach him your art and then go home. Has being a human so muddled with your brain, that you are no longer happy with seeing old friends?"

Jack paled. "Oh no sir, I'm very glad to see all of you. But my wife, Elisa…she's with child, and sick."

"Be that as it may…you're staying to discuss frost with Phelan. He's staying with Snip for now, and we cleaned out your old house, so you will not be in want for a place to stay." Father Winter gestured in the direction of Snip's ice cottage.

*3 Months Later*

Jack leaned weakly against his ice shovel; he had been creating winter for the people of January Junction for the past three months, not to mention other duties, like teaching Phelan at what temperature he should drop snowflakes and blow frost on the lakes. But these were just a few of the many duties that Father Winter had imposed upon him.

He glanced at Hailfellow apologetically. "I-I'm sorry, Hailfellow, but I don't feel well." He went to his cottage and laid down on the icy floor, feeling awful, almost as if the life inside of him was being stripped away or drained.

"Jack? Jack, are you alright?" Snip was outside of Jack's door, pounding on it with his scissors.

Jack didn't even think to get up, he only groaned in reply, unable to make much of a move to open the door. He could only think of two facts.

1\. That he was still stuck shoveling ice and working for winter.

And

2\. That his wife had given birth to his son two days ago, and he hadn't been told until this morning.

So, he ignored his friend. He pushed himself up, and skated on one foot to the window, sticking his head out. It was a frigid winter morning, and he liked it, although he knew that it signaled the end of winter, and the advancement into spring. He also knew, that it signaled his time for when he should go home.

Without a thought he threw himself out the window…gliding down out of the clouds until he saw trees sparse and grey in the thin twilight, a rush of cold wind buffeted him when he lost control of flight and began to plummet downwards, his body feeling weaker and more disintegrated by the moment.

Splash!

He landed face first into the lake, just outside of the castle. He paused to catch his breath, listening for any sound at all, so that he could get his bearings…it felt so hard to breath, that he was light headed, and could hardly believe the song the rang through the woods. It was a woman's voice…and it was almost magical.

You wake up one morning

And you know that something's new

The window panes are frosted

And the skies' a blindin' blue

There's not a bird out singing

And the ground is white with snow

You can see the words come puffing out

When you say your first Hello

You know who's been there

And I think it's really nice

To feel the morning through the glass

Where the dew has turned to ice

He's nipping at your nose

You can feel him in your toes

A shiver and a tear

Lets you know Jack Frost is here

If you try to turn around (Jack Frost)

When you hear his icy sound (Jack Frost)

Here's sure to disappear

But you know Jack Frost is here

(Listen)

(Listen)

You can hear him spreading winter as he goes

(Jack Frost, Jack Frost)

If you try to turn around (Jack Frost)

When you hear his icy sound (Jack Frost)

He's sure to disappear

But you know (yes you know)

Then you know Jack Frost is here

He gasped when he heard a thin baby cry singing along, and the noise of a woman shushing it. He bumped his head against a rock as he swam towards the bank.

He lay there in a bit of dream, then drew himself up painfully, dragging himself as close as he could to the singing voice.

His knees gave out, and he collapsed right in a large mud-puddle under the lowest castle window, for whoever was singing to find him.

Jack paused, listening hard for a moment, everything seemed to be suspended in air, and he almost felt the life shoot through his icy veins.

Almost.

Elisa stopped singing to peer out the window, gasping when she saw her husband lying face up, with mud splattering his clothes from the wet and muddy snow puddle underneath him.

"Jack!" She climbed out of the window to kneel next to him, running her fingers through his still white hair and along his alabaster cheek. "Jack, what…?" She scooped his thin form into her arms, carrying him back into the castle that was on the top of "miserable mountain".

"Jack, I thought I'd lost you! You were gone for three whole months! Why didn't you send me a letter, and why didn't you tell me where you were going?" Her blue eyes filled with tears, and she hugged him tightly. "Now, why are you so pale? And why are you wearing that grey suit of clothes?" She covered him over with a blanket, blinking when she saw him fade just a little more before her eyes.

Jack had lost hope that she would ever love him again, and despite all appearances, he knew that this was his last chance to see the child she had born him. He looked at her pleadingly, his voice entirely gone now, and made a rocking motion with his arms.

"Jack Snip…you're more like Jack Frost to me…" She whispered, kissing his cold lips with her own warm ones, disregarding his motions of desperation.

Jack lay still a moment, almost as if he were in complete and total shock. The color seemed to come back to his cheeks. His blue eyes, which had once been closed, opened again, and he gave a weak-yet genuine-smile as Father Winter granted his last, truly winter wish. "Elisa…" He murmured sleepily.

Elisa gave an excited shriek and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, giving him a hard kiss on the mouth. "I know now who I married, Jack! I married the person I longed to marry, ever since I was a little girl. You're not Jack Snip, the tailor, you're Jack Frost the artist, and no-one can convince me otherwise!"

Jack gave a pleased smile as she handed him his newborn son, and hurried to make him a pot of broth. His family was around him, and finally, FINALLY all was right with the world.

He glanced out the window, caressing his son's tiny head, thick with platinum blond hair-just like his father-nodding at a passing cloud. The last truly WINTER cloud, of the season.

"Goodbye Father Winter, sir, and goodbye Holly, HailFellow, Snip and everyone else!" He leaned back against the pillows and fell into a dreamless sleep, his newborn son still held fast in his arms.

Finis


End file.
